ROC van Amsterdam-Flevoland is starting a vocational (mbo) course to train swimming instructors.
The aim is to ease staff shortages at Amsterdam’s pools. The municipality asked the college to develop the course with Amsterdam pools.
The shortages were clear this summer, when the Brediusbad in Westerpark stayed closed on one of the hottest days of the year.
Other pools in the city have had irregular opening hours in recent years.
Paid work and one day of school
Until now, instructors and lifeguards were trained through courses run by pools or the city.
Project leader Erik Philippo says that made a career switch unattractive, because “you don’t get a certificate and you can’t work at the same time.”
Students on the new course are employed and paid by a pool, and they go to school one day a week.
The course takes one to three years and leads to an mbo diploma at level 3 or 4. Graduates can then work as lifeguards or swimming teachers.
Places for 14 to 20 students
Applications opened on Monday 28 September, and classes start in January.
Applicants must be 18 or older, hold a swimming diploma, provide a certificate of good conduct (VOG) and be physically fit.
Ten pools are taking part, including the Noorderparkbad, Zuiderbad, Marnixbad and De Meerkamp.
“We hope for hundreds of applications,” Philippo says.
To avoid putting too much pressure on current staff, there is room for only 14 to 20 students.
If the Brediusbad closure left you looking for somewhere else to swim, here is a rundown of the city’s pools.
![Top [count] Travel Blogs to Follow - OnToplist.com](https://www.ontoplist.com/images/ontoplist31.png?id=6a8dcf108f478)